Excavation & Site Preparation
Site preparation and excavation in Moncton, NB
Stump removal, grubbing, rough grading, driveway base and septic-area prep — the work that has to happen between clearing the land and building on it.
The other half of the job
Mulching handles the vegetation. This handles what's under it.
Forestry mulching is the right first move on almost any overgrown site. But it stops at grade, and there are jobs where grade isn't good enough — a foundation, a septic bed, a road base, anywhere the material underneath has to be sound.
That's excavation, and it's the reason we run a bucket and thumb alongside the mulching head. The same machine, a different attachment, and no waiting on a second contractor to fit you into their schedule between other jobs.
Doing land clearing and excavation together also saves you a mobilization, which on a small rural job is not a trivial line item.
Scope of work
Site preparation services
Stump removal & grubbing
Stumps and root balls pulled with a bucket and thumb, not ground down and left. Root mat removed from the footprint so nothing decomposes and settles under your structure.
Clearing & grubbing to spec
The phrase every construction drawing uses. We work to staked lines and specified depths, and document what was removed for your GC or engineer.
Building pad preparation
Footprint cleared, grubbed, rough graded and levelled, with topsoil stripped and stockpiled where it's useful rather than buried under spoil.
Driveway excavation & base
Corridor grubbed, subgrade cut, ditching pulled and culverts set at the crossings, ready for gravel. The part that determines whether your driveway survives a New Brunswick spring.
Septic area preparation
Bed and replacement area cleared, grubbed and rough graded to your installer's layout. Both areas — skipping the replacement field is a costly and common oversight.
Rough grading & drainage
Shaping the site so water goes where you want it. Getting drainage wrong at this stage is the most expensive mistake available on a new build.
Decision
Do you actually need grubbing, or is mulching enough?
Grubbing costs real money. Here's a straight guide to when it's necessary and when it's money you don't need to spend.
| End use | Grubbing required? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| House, garage or shop on footings | Yes, always | Decomposing roots create voids and differential settling under the structure |
| Septic field | Yes | Organic material compromises drainage and bed settlement |
| Driveway or road base | Yes, in the corridor | Roots rot out and leave soft spots that fail under load |
| Pasture, hay or field | No | Stumps at grade won't interfere with mowing or grazing |
| ATV or walking trail | No | Mulch mat over a cut stump is a perfectly good trail surface |
| Lawn or landscaped yard | Usually yes | Stumps interfere with mowing and will settle unevenly over years |
| Woodlot improvement | No | Roots are doing useful work holding soil |
| Shed on skids or blocks | Optional | It will settle over time; relevelling is the trade-off |
The efficient sequence
Mulch first, grub second. Grinding the vegetation off makes the grubbing dramatically faster because the operator can see the ground and isn't fighting standing material to reach a stump. Doing it in the other order costs more and takes longer.
Straight answers
Site preparation questions
What's the difference between clearing and grubbing?
Clearing removes what's above ground — trees, brush, stumps cut to grade. Grubbing removes what's below it — the stumps, the root balls and the root mat.
Almost every construction spec you'll see says "clearing and grubbing" as one phrase, because for anything structural you need both. For pasture, trails or general cleanup you usually only need the clearing.
They're priced separately for a reason: grubbing is excavation work, it moves real volume, and it generates material that has to go somewhere.
Do you remove stumps?
Yes — pulled out with a bucket and thumb, root ball and all. That's different from stump grinding, which chews a stump down below grade but leaves the roots in place.
For construction, pulling is what you want. Grinding is a landscaping solution for a single stump in a lawn where you don't want a hole in the ground.
What happens to the stumps and roots you pull out?
A few options depending on the property and the rules that apply to it. On acreage they're often buried well away from any structure or watercourse. Sometimes they're stockpiled for you to burn under a permit later. Sometimes they're hauled off site for disposal.
Burial is the cheapest and is fine on larger rural lots, but it has to be far from anything structural — a buried stump pile settles as it rots. We'll agree the plan with you at the quote so it's not a surprise on the invoice.
Do you do septic system site prep?
We clear and grub the bed and the replacement area to your installer's layout, and rough grade it. The bed design, the permit and the installation itself belong to a licensed septic installer — we prepare the ground for them.
One thing worth knowing: the replacement area needs clearing too. Skipping it is a common and expensive oversight.
Can you build my driveway, not just clear it?
We handle the corridor clearing, grubbing, rough grading, ditching and culvert placement. Gravel supply and final surfacing are usually best handled by a supplier with the trucks for it, and we'll coordinate the sequencing so you're not paying for a machine to sit waiting on gravel.
Do roots need to come out under a garage or a shed?
Under anything on a poured footing or a slab, yes. Under a shed on skids or blocks, generally not — but you'll get settling as buried material decomposes, which means relevelling it every few years.
The cost of grubbing a small footprint while the machine is already on site is small. The cost of bringing one back is not.
Related services
Free, no-obligation
Clearing and excavation from one contractor
One machine, both attachments, one mobilization. Free on-site quote across the Moncton region.